ESCUELA NAPOLITANA (2ND HALF XVI C/ .) "Madonna della Purità"

The Basilica of San Paolo Maggiore in Naples houses a "Madonna della Purità" donated by the Spanish religious Diego de Bernardo y Mendoza. When it was restored in 1956, an inscription was discovered on the lower right-hand side referring to the Immaculate Conception of Mary together with the name of the author: Luis de Morales (c. 1510-1586). The work had previously been associated with other painters of the period such as Teodoro D'errico (1544-1618) and Marco Pino (1521-1583), who, like Morales, mixed Flemish and Italian pictorial traditions. It is certain that since its donation to San Paolo Maggiore it has become a fundamental work among the Neapolitan Marian advocations, and many replicas have been preserved, varying in quality, period and style. Some of the most outstanding examples are attributed to Teodoro D'errico, such as the one in the church of S. Maria di Costantinopoli in Naples, which is certainly more closely related to the present work, due to its types and more Italian style, than to Morales's work. Reference bibliography: Ruiz Gómez, L., "El Divino Morales", Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, 2015, pp. 28 and 29. . Oil on board.79 cm diámeter